"Full Of Life, Laughter": Shashi Tharoor Remembers "Classmate" Piyush Pandey

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has paid tribute to India's advertising legend Piyush Pandey, who died on Friday at the age of 70. Tharoor remembered his “St. Stephen's College classmate” as a man full of warmth, wit, and life, whose influence went far beyond the world of advertising.

In a post on X, Tharoor shared a photograph of the 1978 St. Stephen's College cricket team; a young Piyush Pandey seated in the front row alongside teammates, including former India cricketer Arun Lal. Reflecting on their college days, Tharoor wrote, “Devastated & heartbroken to mourn the passing of my dear St. Stephen's College classmate, the iconic adman Piyush Pandey. Before he gave a voice to modern India's brands, he was a Stephanian — full of life, laughter, and an earthy wit — and (as the pic below confirms) a pretty good college cricketer as well.”

Pandey, widely regarded as one of India's most influential creative minds, was known for infusing emotion, humour, and local flavour into his campaigns. His work not only redefined Indian advertising but also shaped the cultural vocabulary of a generation.

In his tribute, Tharoor highlighted these very qualities, writing, “His ad campaigns touched millions, but it was his earthy charm and incredible wit, as well as his simplicity and directness, that defined him.”

The Congress MP also expressed his personal grief at the loss, calling Pandey “a legend and a truly warm soul.”

Tharoor added that he had already spoken to Pandey's sister, Tripti, to offer his condolences, and concluded his message with the words, “May they somehow find peace to bear this loss.”

Here's Shashi Tharoor's post:

Devastated & heartbroken to mourn the passing of my dear St. Stephen's College classmate, the iconic adman Piyush Pandey. Before he gave a voice to modern India's brands, he was a Stephanian—full of life, laughter, and an earthy wit — and (as the pic below confirms) a pretty good… pic.twitter.com/erQZb4ccPM

— Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) October 24, 2025

Piyush Pandey's career spanned nearly four decades. He was the Chief Creative Officer Worldwide and Executive Chairman India at Ogilvy. Joining the firm in 1982, he began with a Sunlight Detergent ad before moving into the creative department, where he went on to create iconic campaigns for brands such as Fevicol, Cadbury, Asian Paints, Luna Moped, and Fortune Oil. Under his leadership, Ogilvy India topped The Economic Times' Agency Reckoner rankings for 12 years.